Outdoor Leadership
Explore the expansive natural landscapes within and beyond Midland’s 2,860 acres. Students develop skills and habits as hikers, climbers, backpackers, trail-builders, naturalists, navigators, trip planners, and, over time, trip leaders.
Discover all you are capable of...
Students explore Midland’s trails, nearby beaches and coastlines, adjacent wild areas, our ten-acre inholding in the Los Padres National Forest, and California’s vast array of Regional, State, and National Parks through day hikes, overnights, and longer backpacking trips.
Through our seasonal sports, Experiential Saturdays, MIDterm, Experiential Week, Hardlucks, Half Holidays, and the Steward Program, students build teamwork, practice risk awareness, and learn how to move through outdoor environments with skill, confidence, and to care for themselves, their community, and the natural world.
Ways to Get Involved
MIDterm gives students five days to explore interests that do not fit neatly into the regular class schedule. Past outdoor-focused offerings have included bike, hike, and surf adventures from Midland to the ocean, Channel Islands camping and kayaking, trail building, yurt construction, and guided reflection in nature.
During Experiential Week, students take part in grade-level projects that serve as annual rites of passage. Ninth graders backpack in the San Rafael Wilderness, camping near Midland’s ten-acre inholding by the Manzana and Sisquoc drainages while practicing Leave No Trace ethics and exploring the human and natural history of the area.
We offer our hiking, climbing, and backpacking sport, called Outdoor Leadership in the fall and spring as a seasonal afternoon sport. During ‘practice,’ students spend time out on our trails or in nearby natural landscapes, hiking, backpacking, navigating, planning trips, exploring the property, and preparing for day hikes, overnights, and longer backpacking experiences.
Many students choose this sport year after year, discovering a deep love for outdoor adventure, and growing into tremendous outdoor leaders capable of carrying what they need, reading the landscape, working as a group, and managing risk.
A much-sought leadership role at Midland, Stewards are student outdoor leaders who train to lead night hikes, longer hikes, and overnight camping trips for other students. Stewardship requires property knowledge, trust, training, and skill, and carries a high level of risk-management and responsibility. Stewards often reflect a deep sense of pride and joy at sharing their love and knowledge of Midland’s trails and landscapes with less-experienced students.
A beloved Midland tradition, Hardlucks provide an opportunity to sleep beneath the stars without the scale and prep of a full backpacking trip. Led by student stewards, a group of students will leave central campus after dinner, make camp somewhere on our 2,860 acre property, and return in time for breakfast.
Half Holidays (our free afternoons) are another popular window for students to explore the ranch, walk, run, ride, hike, and spend unstructured time outdoors. These simple openings in the week help students build comfort, friendship, and a natural connection to the place they call home.
UNPARALLELED OUTDOOR ACCESS & EXPERIENCES